10 Reasons we should be afraid of Muslim riots
1) The protesters are not protesting a cartoon, they are protesting free speech. At best what they are calling for is blatant censorship of anything they don’t like. Even if the protests were 100% peaceful and civil, the fact that Muslims feel the need to protest one of the core principles of our society is in and of itself a cause for concern.
2) Even moderate Muslims seem to condemn the violence but support the aims of the protests. They want the video censored as much as the rioters on the streets. If they were truly moderate and responsible members of society, they would come out and defend the video. If you’re not prepared to defend the things which offend you the most, then you’re not in favour of free speech at all.
3) The protesters claim they are protesting Islamaphobia, the truth is they are actually causing Islamaphobia because they are giving people a reason to be afraid of Muslims. Holding signs calling for beheadings makes people scared and rightly so. It isn’t really even a proper phobia because the fear is not irrational
4) One of the main reasons we need to be worried is because the so called video is so stupid it’s laughable. If something so dumb can cause mass riots, I would hate to think what the reaction to a serious academic expose on Muhammad would be. I’m not saying it would necessarily say anything derogatory, but the point is it should be allowed to present the truth whatever that may be without fear of violent uprisings.
5) Even foreign governments are joining in calls for censorship and it isn’t just the crazy ones like Iran. Even “secular” Turkey has joined in wanting Islamaphobia to be made a crime against humanity. This shows that it is not merely a few radicals getting upset but that the world itself is divided and that there is a real difference in beliefs and values.
6) Hate only breeds more hate. Violent protests by Muslims will lead to right wing lunatics having counter protests and causing even more violence and hate. By protesting free speech all those Muslims are doing is dividing society and radicalising their opposition.
7) The reaction by leaders in the West including President Obama to criticize the maker of the video along with the protesters shows that they don’t understand what is at stake. Despite the fact that the video is awful, Obama should have defended the maker’s right to produce it. Instead the White house attempted to have the video pulled. Thankfully Youtube has taken a stand for free speech and resisted.
8) The fact that many commentators feel the need to defend Islam is also concerning. Many are rushing to try and defend Islam rather than condemning its violence. Excuses given such as ‘Islam is in its mediaeval stage, Christianity went through the same thing’ not only diminish the suffering of the victims but are also completely illogical. Even if the assertion that Christianity was once as violent as Islam is were true (which I don’t believe for a second) it doesn’t follow that we should sit back and wait for Islam to civilize. Killing innocent people because a video offended you is just wrong. There are no excuses.
9) The fact that many people are using the violence to attack US foreign policy, even to the point of equating the two, shows just how quickly the world forgets. Take the war in Iraq for example, the US attacked to remove a murderous dictator from power who they believed possessed weapons of mass destruction. Despite the fact that that belief was proven false and that the war didn’t go as planned we still need to remember that the intentions were good. This is in no way comparable to what we are seeing on the streets of the Middle East. Also the idea that we should change our foreign policy to appease protesters is bizarre. Hard line Muslims don’t like the fact we are fighting other hard line Muslims in Afghanistan, big whoop. Foreign policy should be based on doing what’s right, not what appeases our enemy.
10) The violence shows that many Muslims see violence as a legitimate means of getting what they want. They think that by killing diplomats and attacking American businesses they will get their way. Any group of people who believe this are incredibly dangerous.
James Leach